Arsenal endured a pretty difficult season as they failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, in more than two decades.
However, that has not stopped the manager from aiming high this summer as he is looking to make some decent additions to the first team to help his side compete with the best next season.
The manager has completed the signing of Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer early in the window and one player who the club have now announced is Alexandre Lacazette.
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A transfer target for Arsene Wenger for more than three years now, Lacazette was expected to join Atletico Madrid but the transfer ban in place at the Vicente Calderon meant that Arsenal could finalise a deal for just over £52m for the French striker.
However, this deal has now put the Gunners in a spot of bother, regarding the Premier League’s limit of non-home grown players.
What is the fuzz?
Though it does not sound like anything too stressful, Arsenal are now in a position where they cannot sign any player from outside England unless they decide to sell one such player from the squad before their purchase.
Once the summer transfer window closes, each Premier League team will submit a 25-man squad containing no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the “Home Grown Player” criteria.
A Home Grown player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
What does it mean for Arsenal?
Jack Wilshere, Wojciech Szczesny and Calum Chambers are all back from loan spells meaning that they add to the numbers, pushing then squad to 30.
The only expected to departures are Lucas Perez, Joel Campbell, David Ospina and Mathieu Debuchy, neither of who fit the ‘home-grown’ quota.
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So Arsenal might be forced to make their next few signing from within the Premier League.
This deal will spell as good news for one Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who fits these requirements.
He is currently unsettled at that Emirates but Arsenal have little option but to keep him at the club as he can increase their home-grown numbers in the squad, helping Arsenal meet this requirement.